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DIABOLOS DUST
The Reaper Returns

Massacre (2018)
Rating: 5.5/10

German act Diabolos Dust is one of those modern dynamic acts whereby thrash-cum sturdy balls to the wall metal is very much the strong vein running through their sound. And with their third outing, The Reaper Returns, the band continue their polished Teutonic attack.

The opening title cut is a wasted opportunity in a sense, existing merely as a short introductory instrumental before the rumbles of ‘Roll Your Dice’ take hold. Here, the quintet build an air of metallic suspense whereby drum and bass are very much at the forefront in their pace, while the main axe streak fizzes nicely although without any real menace.

As a vocalist, Peter Lohwasser brings a steely growl-cum-rasp to the table. There’s nothing flashy about his snarl, but he is commanding and easily discernible above the musical quakes.

‘Sanity’ is a clean and melodious slab which brings a straight up trad’ metal glint, offering up a sound akin to classic Rage in that dark, brooding but very much Germanic trend. However, it is the thrashier examples which I prefer, and ‘Fall Of The Gods’ features some effective percussion from Stefan Fesser even if again the bass and guitar rattles in rather all-too polished and humourless nature.

Diabolos Dust is clearly not here to sprinkle fun upon our ears as they diligently strike with grey melodious whips but all within sturdy confinement. And the band quickly finds their comfort zone with a track like ‘Blood And Fire’, which is a touch generic but it does bring extra pace.

The same can also be said for the steely rage of ‘Dust’ which brings a bony bass gallop, and is matched by the muscular antics of ‘Warmachine’ – probably my favourite track on the album. The suspenseful and almost militant beginning to ‘Warmachine’ suddenly kicks into a steady trudge as Lohwasser barks of “Bodies flying through the ear” amid a spray of killer soloing. But it’s still very much formulaic and at times soulless German metal. Lohwasser’s cry of “I am the master of all disasters, I am the bringer of death” doesn’t fully convince me in what is essentially a lump of immovable, pig-ironed chunkiness that is clunky, cumbersome and restrained.

By the time ‘Hold On The Flame’ brings the record to a close I am thankful that it is only eight tracks in length; the constant mechanical rattling of this opus forcing migraine effects upon me.

To put it bluntly – because that’s what Diabolos Dust offer soundwise – there’s just so little going on here to the point of being drained by a contemporary lump of gunmetal grey. The Reaper Returns is not the life and soul of any metal party.

Neil Arnold

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